Working or Playing?
In This Issue: Issue 347 - - March 13, 2007 
•   Welcome! And what's new...
•   3. But my doggie’s sick
•   1. Read this list .....
•   4. Humor -- "The Gold Watch"
•   2. Working or Playing?
•   5. News You Can Use
Welcome! And what's new...
We are now half way through the Coaching 101 series. In this six-week seminar I am presenting the basic principles for growing a coaching business. That includes pretty much any kind of business since the concepts of getting clients/customers, marketing your business, clarifying benefits for your customers, and setting up multiple income streams are desired goals in any venture.

The previous sessions are available on the 48DaysCoach.com site for all current members. If you are a new member you will get free and instant access. 48 Days Coaching Connection

Just a reminder; you can hear the live radio broadcast of 48 Days to the Work You Love and call Dan and Tim with your questions (615.737.9986) each Sunday night from 6:00-9:00 PM CDT. The call letters are 99.7 FM in Tennessee or go to Super Talk 99.7 WTN for direct Internet access. You can also listen to any past shows via podcast. 48 Days to the Work You Love


"Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin." -- Grace Hansen

*To view this newsletter on our website in full html, please go to http://www.48days.com/newsletter/access.php

1. Read this list .....
If there is one thing that has contributed to any success I've had it is the books I have read. I continue a heavy reading schedule and will until the day I die. The wisdom of the ages is so readily available for any of us – it’s a shame to not take advantage of it.

I am asked repeatedly what books I recommend. Here are 10 suggestions for 2007. You’ll notice these are not all business or money-making books. I truly believe that financial success is a byproduct of personal success. If you want to get rich, work on developing YOU!


1. Frankl, Viktor. Man's Search for Meaning. A classic work by a concentration camp prisoner. Identifies that even when everything else is taken away, we have the ability to choose. I read this one about every six months just to remind myself of what is really important.

2. Gire, Ken. Windows of the Soul. One of my favorite books ever. A gentle guide to help us see God in new ways. I believe it opens our eyes to see more opportunities all around us in the process. A timeless classic.

3. Quindlen, Anna. A Short Guide to a Happy Life. What does it take to really live deeply and successfully, rather than to just exist? This little book puts in perspective those things we often consider to be too important.

4. Schwartz, David. The Magic of Thinking Big. Workable methods for thinking big. How to create your own "good luck." The book that put coach Lou Holtz on the road to extraordinary success.

5. King, Martin Luther, Jr. Strength to Love. This book absolutely amazed me. I expected it to be a political diatribe – but found it to be a universal call to Godly people everywhere to live at peace. Love, truth and the courage to do what is right supersedes racial, ethnic and political divisions and calls us to an optimistic hope for a better world.

6. Guiness, Os. Unspeakable. I loved his book, The Call, but in this one Os confronts our inability to understand evil. Our desire to avoid pain often inflicts it on others. “Evil” is not us vs. them – the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every one of us. What can we do to bring peace to the world?

7. Pink, Daniel. A Whole New Mind. The era of “left-brain” dominance is being overtaken by a new world in which artistic and holistic “right-brain” abilities will identify who will flourish and prosper. New opportunities exist for those who understand “high-concept” and “high-touch.”

8. Friedman, Thomas. The World is Flat. We better recognize the changes taking place in the world economy. Outsourcing, downsizing and the impact of “electronic immigrants” will effect us all. The changes are not necessarily bad, but they do force us to view life and business in new ways.

9. Wayne Muller, Sabbath. Our relentless emphasis on success and productivity has become a form of violence, Muller says. We have lost the necessary rhythm of life, the balance between effort and rest, doing and not doing. Just reading this gives me a new sense of Sabbath and rest in my own life.

10. Canfield, Jack. The Success Principles. An incredible compilation of 64 success principles from the co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

I also have a longer list – if you can commit to more than 10, here are my suggestions.

Here’s the longer list

2. Working or Playing?
As soon as I complete this newsletter I’m going to join Joanne on Siesta Key in Sarasota, Florida for lunch. She got a head start this morning to hit some of her favorite shops there. We left Nashville last Tuesday to be on national TV (TBN) that evening. Then we just headed south to Celebration, Florida where we spent a couple of days. Went to one of the greatest classic car shows anywhere on Saturday night. Then on to Sarasota where we met up with some friends for dinner Sunday evening.

Today (Monday), I’m working until noon and then we’ll shop and play until dinner on the beach tonight with some more friends.

I spend a couple of hours each morning staying current with writing, coaching, and seminar preparations and still have plenty of time to play as we travel. Just a couple of the benefits of the new working models available to anyone today.

Here's one of my favorite quotations that highlights this blend:
The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both. James Michener

How to recognize and take advantage of the new working models is the focus of my new book, No More Mondays (Random House – Jan 08).

If you don’t want to wait that long you can get the basics in 48 Days to Creative Income.

See it here

3. But my doggie’s sick
Here's an extension on taking care of employee’s needs.

Some employers have begun to treat employees' pets as part of the family when it comes to paid leave.
The Times found several employers in the United Kingdom that are offering "peternity" leave for employees to take care of a sick pet, and one employer that offers bereavement leave for employees whose pets die.

The newspaper notes that employers are recognizing how important employees' pets are in their lives and using pet policies to attract and retain workers. Some employers have simply allowed employees to take their pets to work, while others have gone further.

One employer that has gone the extra step is the Courier Service in London, which allows employees 2 days of paid leave per year to take care of a sick pet or bring it to the vet.

From HR Ezine

4. Humor -- "The Gold Watch"
Here’s a retirement speech you don’t want to hear from your boss:

"As a symbol of our gratitude, we have created this special gold watch to serve as a reminder of your many years with the company. It needs a lot of winding up, is always a little late, and every day at quarter to five, it stops working."

5. News You Can Use
Remember the Peter Principle:
People will rise through the ranks of an organization until they reach a level of incompetence. Here’s the new take-off: the Peter-Out Principle: People will rise through the ranks of an organization until they stop having fun – then they’ll walk out.

A J.O.B.
“A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., M.D., or PhD. Unfortunately, they don’t have a J.O.B. – Fats Domino

Let Me Handle That
A Johns Hopkins study found that workers who have little control in their work are 70 percent more likely to die from heart disease than workers with significant control of their work. (Mihaly Scikzentmihalyi, “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience,” p. 143

Don't Be Lazy
John Wesley was an Anglican priest and leader of the great Weslyan “Methodist” revival of the 18th century. In his lifetime he rode 175,000 miles on horseback to preach 40,000 sermons. As his health failed near the end of his life, Wesley complained that his doctor would only allow him to preach 14 times weekly. He wrote in his journal, “I fear laziness is creeping in on me – there is a growing desire to sleep in until 5:30 AM.”